Rich in 'blood money,' SantaCon faces review for possible ban

SantaCon is a necessary evil for establishments that want to survive in Hoboken's fiercely competitive bar scene, even when some in the crowds of mostly out-of-towners can be as hostile to barkeeps and servers as they are to the cops trying to keep a lid on things, according to a veteran of the annual Christmastime pub crawl.

"I call it blood money," said Natalie Janecek, manager of the Victor Hotel Bar & Grill on River Street, one of a dozen bars that officially took part in last Saturday's unusually rowdy yuletide bacchanal.

By that, Janecek meant, SantaCon is a day when debauched, rude behavior is overlooked because bar receipts can add up to four times a normal Saturday's take, and there is a chance that the newcomers drawn by the event's novelty will become regulars or at least repeat customers.

"It's a really sloppy day and it doesn't matter what kind of security you have," said Janecek, who was not surprised that Hoboken Police reported 17 arrests and 55 hospitalizations on Saturday and early Sunday morning linked to SantaCon.

"I totally believe it, 100 percent," said Janecek, who has worked in Hoboken's bar scene for 10 years. "We had somebody passed out in our handicapped bathroom."

In response to reports of the weekend mayhem, Mayor-elect Ravi Bhalla said he will ask city lawyers to look into what legal recourse Hoboken has to end the increasingly rowdy SantaCon annual pub crawl, possibly on public safety grounds.

"This is not what Hoboken's about," Bhalla told NJ Advance Media in an interview Monday. "This is not consistent with our reputation as a growing, family-friendly city."

Bhalla added that it was unfair to Hoboken taxpayers and police officers to be burdened and physically assaulted by a largely out-of-town crowd encouraged to drink heavily.

Bhalla, an attorney who was elected Nov. 7 with backing of outgoing Mayor Dawn Zimmer, had already weighed in on the mass drink-up over the weekend, re-tweeting a Twitter message announcing a change.org petition drive to rid the Mile-Square City of SantaCon.

Hoboken's event is among dozens of SantaCons around the United States and the world, and one of several such holiday-themed events in the Mile-Square City, including the annual LepreCon pub crawl held every March, when participating bars also offer discounts on drinks.

SantaCon is like any Saturday in Hoboken, only more so, or much more so. Bars participating in the SantaCon offer discounts to those who have purchased tickets and wear wristbands to prove it. But those bars also continue to serve other patrons who have not purchased tickets and therefore must pay full price, including some who -- like official participants -- may also decide to dress as Santa, elves, or reindeer.

Bars that are not participating in SantaCon also operate as they would on any other day, selling drinks at regular prices to regulars and others, including people dressed for the North Pole who may or not have purchased tickets to SantaCon.

On Monday, Hoboken Police Chief Kenneth Ferrante issued a press release detailing the weekend's SantaCon-related arrests, most of which involved charges of resisting arrest and assaulting policing officers, though others included marijuana possession, obstruction of justice, bail jumping, and disorderly conduct. Ferrante said there was one complaint of sexual contact, or groping, though no arrest was made in that case.

During a 16-hour period from Saturday afternoon into Sunday morning, Ferrante said, his department responded to 289 calls, issued 32 motor vehicle summonses and 51 summonses for violations of Hoboken's local ordinance. Ferrante also said 55 people were hospitalized, though none of the injuries was serious.

Ferrante said all the SantaCon summonses will be heard in Hoboken Municipal Court on Jan. 16, while initial Superior Court appearances on the assault charges will be within the coming days.

Most of those arrested were men, though there were some women, and all but a few were in their 20's, the release stated. None lived in Hoboken, according to the release.

In the case of one incident at Hoboken Bar & Grill, a SantaCon participant, the release stated: "The defendant argued with police and medical personnel on scene and refused medical help," the release stated of one incident. "The defendant, in an effort to leave, struck [an officer] in the face and an EMT staff as they attempted to place her on a stretcher. This behavior continued inside the ambulance and along the trip to the hospital."

An employee at the bar said neither the owner nor the manager was available to be interviewed.

Zimmer issued a statement saying the city's alcoholic beverage control board issues summonses and sometimes closure orders to bars found to violate local ABC laws during SantaCon and at other times. But, Zimmer added, typically closure orders are overturned on appeal to the state ABC board.

"We will never be able to fix this problem if the state constantly undermines our efforts by letting these problem bars off with a slap on the wrist," Zimmer stated.

In response to the mayor's assertion, a spokesman for the state Alcoholic Beverage division issued a statement saying each decision is "fact sensitive and based on the unique circumstances presented in each case."

"The Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control will continue to evaluate all appeals that come before it in a timely and fair manner," the statement read.

The SantaCon concept dates back to 1994 in San Francisco, when it was more or a caroling parade. But as the event spread around the country and the world, it morphed into a pub crawl, with Hoboken's first one in 2011.

Since then it's grown in popularity and in police-related incidents. This year's total of 17 arrests more then tripled the five arrests in 2016, though that figure was down from 9 arrests in 2015.

More than a dozen bars are listed as participants. Janecek was the only official from any of them who responded to a request for comment.

The owners of some other establishments in town, including retailers and some bars and restaurants, do not welcome the annual SantaCon revelers or the chaos they bring, said Joyce Flinn, who is vice president of the Hoboken Chamber of Commerce.

Flinn, who owns Schnackenberg's Luncheonette and the Elysian Cafe, is also a member of the Hoboken Hospitality Association, which represents many of the city's bar owners.

None of Flinn's establishments took part. But in defense of the SantaCon, Flinn said some bars in town had lost business because of the resurfacing and realignment of Washington Street over the past several months. She said those businesses looked to the holidays and special events like SantaCon to help offset the year's losses.

On the other hand, Flinn added, some business owners not involved in the yule tide pub crawl complained that its wobbly ticket holders hurt their sales last weekend and in the past by discouraging shoppers, clogging streets, or fouling their restrooms.

"They'll come in and throw up in the bathroom, and then leave," said Flinn.

Hoboken has long attracted a young and boisterous crowd to its many nightspots, a history and identity that Flinn defended.